The Spires College, As a Trust School, Operates Its Own Admissions Policy As Set out Below

Admissions Policy For entry from 1 September 2019 Background The Spires College, as a Trust School, operates its own Admissions Policy as set out below. This policy is the responsibility of the Governing Body of the College. It is hoped that the policy will be operated without significant year-on-year change to introduce stability into the admissions to the College. The School Admissions process is published and formulated by the Local Authority and includes common dates and application form. This is agreed by all admission authorities and is published on the LA and College websites. As a Bilateral School, The Spires College has two distinct populations at the time of entry. These are recognised as Selective students who have passed the selection test to enter the College and Non-Selective students who have not passed the test, or who have chosen not to take it. Purpose The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all prospective students are treated fairly and that the college continues to provide an educational facility to serve the local community in which it resides. To achieve this, it will work in co-operation with other Admitting Authorities within Torbay under Torbay Council’s co-ordinated scheme. Admissions Committee The Admissions Committee consists of five members, including the College’s Principal and four Governors. A minimum of three members are required to make decisions regarding admissions. Designated Area The Spires College wishes to serve as a community school and, as such, seeks to service a specific designated area. A map showing this area is included at the end of this document; however children from both inside and outside of this area are admitted. Planned Admission Number (PAN) The planned admission number into Year 7 each year is 220 students. This figure remains the same as each year group progresses through the college. While we plan to keep to this figure we reserve the right to exceed it as detailed in the DfE Code on School Admissions. Ratio of Selective and Non-Selective places There are up to 60 selective places available in each year group. If any of these places remain following the allocation process they will be used to increase the number of non-selective places in the College. For example, if only 30 of the maximum of 60 selective places per year are awarded, the balance of 190 places will be allocated to students with applications for a non- selective place. Children with Education, Health and Care Plans Section 324 of the Education Act 1996 requires the Governing Body to admit a child with an Education, Health and Care Plan that names their school. This is not an oversubscription criterion and schools must admit such children whether they have vacancies or not. Therefore places will be allocated to these students before other applications are considered. Oversubscription Criteria If there are more applications than available places the applications will be prioritised in the order of the following categories. 1. Looked after Children or children who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, residence or special guardianship order. 2. Children whose home address is inside the designated area. 3. Children whose home address is outside of the designated area. When there are more applications than available places, categories 2 and 3 above will be prioritised in the following order. a. A sibling already attends The Spires College. b. The application is for a child of a member of staff (as per criteria set out in the School Admissions Code). c. All other applications. When there are more applications than available places, categories a, b and c above will be prioritised in straight line distance order from the home address. Distance is measured in the following ways: When the home address is within the designated area - furthest from Churston Ferrers Grammar School first for selective or Torquay Academy for non-selective and post 16. When the home address is outside of the designated area - closest to The Spires College first. In the event of applications being received for two or more children living exactly the same distance from the school, the allocation will be made by lot undertaken by the LA Admissions Manager on behalf of the College by the operation of an electronic list randomiser. This may be in the presence of a College representative. 2 Selective Entry from Primary School So that you can have a good idea whether an application for a selective place may be successful, the test takes place before the closing date for applications. You must register your child to take the test at one of the selective schools in Torbay by the published deadline. Candidates can take only one test within Torbay and, if an application is made to more than one selective school in Torbay, the selective schools will share the results. The test consists of two CEM papers, completed on a Saturday in September. The CEM papers are supplied by Durham University and will be marked in accordance with their regulations. The Spires College can offer up to 60 selective places in each year. Places will be offered to those students who meet the eligible score in the test as determined by the Admissions Panel. The required standard will be a score in the top 55% of candidates. This means that the percentage pass rate may vary from one year to another, depending on the abilities of the students in the local area in any one year. If the above criteria result in over 60 selective places being filled, candidates will be grouped as follows: Group A Group B Group C The 60 highest scoring The remaining candidates Candidates who do not meet candidates who meet the who meet the eligible score in the eligible score in the test as eligible score in the test as the test as determined by the determined by the Admissions determined by the Admissions Admissions Panel. Panel. Panel. These candidates will not initially be eligible for a selective place. However, if a These candidates will be selective place becomes These candidates will not be eligible for a selective place. available during the allocation eligible for a selective place. process, it will be offered to the highest scoring candidate in group B. Special arrangements for the tests will only be based on support an applicant regularly receives in school. For example large-print test papers for visually impaired candidates, the use of magnifying aids, coloured filters, templates or the provision of a scribe to record the child’s answers. Special arrangement requests, including additional time to a maximum of 25%, will only be approved in exceptional circumstances. Special arrangements must not provide an unfair advantage over others. Requests for special arrangements should be made at the same time as a registration form is submitted and should be accompanied by a current Education, Health and Care Plan or Primary School SEND Support information. Each case will be considered on its own merit and the current school may be consulted. An alternative test date is offered only in exceptional circumstances that are pre-arranged with the College. Exceptional circumstances include illness and circumstances that mean the candidate was disadvantaged on the day, as well as families with unavoidable work commitments that coincide with the days of the test. In these cases confirmation from the employer will be required. In the event of a tie on score and the selective places being oversubscribed, children will be ranked in order of the over subscription criteria. Applications for selective places where candidates do not reach the required standard to qualify for a selective place will automatically be considered for a non-selective place, alongside all applications for non-selective places. 3 Within fourteen days of the test, a parent/carer may submit a case that there were exceptional circumstances that may have affected a candidate’s performance prior to or on one of the test days. The Admissions Panel will consider each written case before the end of November, obtaining information from the current primary school, such as assessment results, school reports and a letter of support indicating why it is considered that the candidate is of the appropriate academic ability and, where appropriate, other agencies such as the educational psychologist service. Cases based upon illness must be supported by a medical certificate or letter from a relevant medical practitioner. After considering the case the panel may decide that the candidate could have reached the standard required to gain a selective place, but for the exceptional circumstances, and that there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the candidate is of the required academic standard to be awarded a selective place. Late applications and Waiting Lists for Entry from Primary School Late applications will be considered after those received by the closing date. If the college is oversubscribed, applications that have not resulted in a place being offered will be kept on a waiting list ranked in accordance with the oversubscription criteria. Where a place becomes available it will be offered to the child whose application is at the top of the waiting list. The waiting list does not differentiate between selective and non-selective students and, as of the first day of the next academic year, all new and existing applications are considered as [mid] in-year admissions. In-Year Admissions (Years 7 – 11) In-year admissions are those when a student enters the College at any time other than normal transfer from primary secondary school. Applications are made to Torbay Council’s School Admissions team. Information and an online application facility are available at: http://www.torbay.gov.uk/schooladmissions or by contacting 01803 208908 for a TIPS 4 booklet.

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